winter cruising

[blueprince]

wouldn't it be simpler to fit some sort of ice-cutter to the front to reduce the size of the ice pieces you displace? would that help with paint damage too? Surely as well as the responsibility of ensuring a moored boat is safe from reasonable dangers, a passing boat should minimise any damage it could do, whether to boats, banks or fauna.

[Teadaemon]

Regarding damage to a moored boat caused by ice, unless somebody's actually on board or around to see what happens then I'd suggest it might be quite difficult to prove anything even to civil standards (balance of probabilities). Even then I'm not sure whether or not any liability would exist.

 

As it is, pressure from ice (particularly in confined waters like canals or basins, etc) can seriously damage even sturdy GRP boats without anyone ever going near them (it grinds away the gelcoat at the water line and can cause the glass underneath to delaminate - difficult to spot as it often returns to it's previous shape when the pressure is removed). Wooden vessels are also at risk, although there the problem is springing a plank or a seam opening up. It's possible to protect against this by hanging a submersible pump (powered by a wind generator or solar panel) over the side of the boat (most yachts get away with one, a big narrowboat might need two or three spaced out along it's length), which should keep the boat sitting in a small patch of clear water. To protect against ice sheets being pushed against you by boats, wind, or current then I'd suggest that some hefty fender boards positioned half in and half out of the water might be a good investment.

Edited August 4, 2007 by Teadaemon

[Christine]

Can you quote any cases of somebody being found liable?

 

I pay 12 months licence and have a boat that can cruise in icy conditions. Why should I stay moored up for 3 months?

 

IMHO, leaving a boat so as to require people not to pass in icy conditions is causing an obstruction the the waterway.

 

Ahh...the joys of The Wagon Mount 1 & 2 (Tort - Causation In Fact )

 

 

Didn't you do A level Law Mayalld??

 

The upshot of the two The Wagon Mound cases is that a defendant will only be liable for damage that is reasonably foreseeable as a consequence of the negligent act. Foreseeable damage being "real or very likely " - not far-fetched or fanciful."

 

Read all about it here: The Wagon Mound

[MaryP]

We bought our boat in Winter, and have very fond memories of our first trips!

I must admit, as we only have a Springer (thin hull) we didn't move when there was thick ice on the water....

[Supermalc]

I'm sure one or two will remember my winter trips My winter trips have been somewhat thwarted, mainly due to lack of interest, although there have been a couple which could have ended in tragedy.I finally persuaded another long-term friend to accompany me. We arrived after a particularly cold night to find the river covered in ice. The cold North wind blows from the unsheltered direction and the river is man made for the first 500 yards or so to the sluice. No flow in the river means ice readily forms. Remembering how I cut through some ice when I first brought her from Lincoln I wasn't unduly worried, but I should have been. The ice was much thicker than I realized, the rudder blade broke off as I tried to back out, leaving me with little steering, which I put down to the ice. Worse was to come though as just as we were about to clear it, I noticed water in the cabin floor. Seconds later there was more HELP!!! We were sinking.I couldn't hear the bilge pump working for the engine, so had a frightening few moments until the water quickly went down when I slowed to turn. Struggling with the broken rudder, I turned round and moored at the new moorings just fitted by BW that we had thankfully just passed. On examination, Wud's progress had been so fast, the ice had been thrown against the lower edge of the planks in the bow wave, so wearing the underside away until a small hole appeared. Thankfully I was prepared with bitumen and sawdust on board, so after inflating the dingy, we were able to patch the hole with a small piece of wood and paste. I returned very slowly through the path we had just cut, thanking my lucky starts I was not leaving Wud on the bottom near the bank somewhere.The following week, I repaired the rudder, and filled the worn planks properly, adding some top quality marine ply to reinforce the outside of the hull where the bow wave comes up. If we were nearly sunk by a hole the side of a finger, hitting a log would put us on the bottom in only a few yards. Previously I had thought a very large hole under the waterline would be required to sink her, as with the sea-cock open the water only trickles in, but I had not foreseen the force of water when traveling. I was planning to replace the rudder this winter, if time and inclination allowed, but the 'quickie' repair I did with my friend is so good, I expect it to remain permanent. I have also obtained a tensioning spring for the steering cable, so the annoying play from the original poor set up is also a thing of the past.The next incident involved my same friend. I set off again, no ice this time, only to find the windy day causing a back draught, blowing smoke down the chimney and into the cabin. Asking him to open the bottom door, which regulated the air to the stove, it came off. I screamed at him to get it back on, as I could see the stove bursting into flames, with them shooting across the cabin and setting fire to it.Poor chap, he quickly got things under control, but the damage to our eyes from the stinging smoke took a day or two longer, before the soreness left. He says he must have been on the Titanic in a previous life. I haven't banned him, but asked him to bring me some Valium for the next time If you damage someones property, you are responsible to repair it........ OK it has to be proved it's you who's done the damage, but when a line of plastic boats have been cut in half, I'm fairly sure several will have seen the moron person responsible, as they will have been the only moving boat.My winter cruising is now curtailed though, because if I'm not on the Kyme in the mud, I'll be on the Haven in the mud......and the sea is much too rough in the winter (often in the summer as well)What's gone wrong?All my writing has no spaces. I've not written it like that......is something turned off somewhere. It's only on this forum.

Edited August 6, 2007 by Supermalc